AI is becoming part of consumers’ everyday lives – and users in South Africa are increasingly turning to AI services for personal matters, raising new privacy and cybersecurity concerns, according to Kaspersky.
In a META regional survey, the security firm found that almost 75% of respondents from South Africa said they use AI services – such as smart chatbots and image and video generation tools. They most often turn to AI to search for and summarise information (74%), and to write texts (49%). Other popular use cases include generating images from text descriptions or prompts (39%), editing or transforming users’ own photos (36%), and creating videos (26%).
The survey confirms that AI has become not only a tool for assisting with tasks, but also a source of advice on increasingly personal matters.
Respondents from South Africa rely on AI for a range of everyday needs and practical recommendations including health-related questions (29%), planning spare time – a weekend, vacation, or party (25%) – and preparing meal plans (17%). Asking for advice on other personal issues was mentioned by 34% of survey participants.
Kaspersky’s experts warn that these interactions may involve personal information, potentially creating privacy and security risks if such data is exposed, misused by third-parties or accessed by cybercriminals.
Another concern relates to users’ trust in the reliability of AI-generated information.
Nearly one in 10 respondents from South Africa have already encountered incorrect information generated by AI, while 24% believe that AI can provide inaccurate answers. Such findings underline the importance of treating AI-generated responses critically and avoiding the disclosure of sensitive information.
“Users should be aware of the limitations and potential risks associated with AI services,” says Seifallah Jedidi, head of Consumer Channel in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa at Kaspersky. “Even widely used AI platforms may contain vulnerabilities that could lead to data exposure, while information shared with these platforms may be processed or accessed by third-parties depending on the service and its policies.
“It is therefore important to develop digital habits such as verifying information, handling personal data with caution and critically assessing AI-generated responses,” Jedidi adds. “Users should also be aware that cybercriminals increasingly use fake AI agents and services as a lure to distribute malware, sometimes disguising malicious tools as well-known AI resources.”
To minimise cybersecurity risks when using AI, Kaspersky’s experts recommend:
- Do not share sensitive or confidential information with AI services. Avoid uploading documents, private correspondence, passwords, payment details, and health information.
- Check how an AI service handles your data before using it. Review what information the service collects and how it may be processed, stored, or otherwise used.
- Verify AI-generated information through reliable sources. This is particularly important for education, financial, legal, and medical topics as inaccurate responses in these areas can have serious consequences.
- Be alert to fake AI services and AI-themed scams. Phishing pages, malicious software and fraudulent websites may imitate legitimate AI platforms or promote fake AI tools. Comprehensive security solutions such as Kaspersky Premium use AI-powered technologies to protect users in everyday scenarios.